Be Coy (but only a little bit)

To say that Zatanna was completely bored out of her mind would be an understatement. It was a bright sunny Saturday afternoon in early May. Most girls her age would be lounging on the couch, hanging out at the mall, and maybe…..cuddling with a cute bird boy. Instead, Zatanna was sitting in the middle of the school courtyard, at a concession stand, selling chips and sodas and other snacks. This year, Zee's high school was selected to play host to the state's Interscholastic competition. Students from high schools all across the state came to compete in various math, science, history, and other academic tests and competitions. As to why Zatanna had to spend her Saturday selling snacks, the National Honor Society president had recently been nagging her about her lack of community service hours. Of course, Zatanna would argue that being a part of a covert superhero squad tasked with handling international incidents to keep world peace was more than enough "community service" anyone could scrounge up in a lifetime. But here we are. She basically had no choice but to volunteer here at this event to meet the NHS deadline. To make matters worse, the one person she so desperately wanted to talk to was currently ghosting her. She sent Robin that corny joke about a piano and a tuna fish two and a half hours ago. He didn't even have the decency to leave her on read…or is that better? Maybe he's busy doing Boy Wonder stuff? In the middle of the afternoon though?

"Hey there cutie." (Ugh, another one.)

"Uh, yea hi. What can I get you?"

"How about your number? I know a sweet sweet Cuban food place downtown."

"Really? That's great. Well then how about you….leave me alone and go there for your lunch?"

"Jeez. Cat's got claws huh?"

"Look either buy some chips or beat it. Don't you have to practice for your next event or something?"

"Pft. Whatever. You're not even that hot anyway"

Zatanna sighed as the latest suitor was turned away. That was how her day had been going. Guy after guy after guy and sometimes a girl literally from all over the state basically lined up to hit on her. At least the latest reject was straightforward about it. Most of these "scholars" had been throwing cheesy nerdy pick-up lines at her all day hoping one would stick. If she had to listen to one more joke about pi, she may actually kill someone.

"Hi there."

Snapped out her reverie, she shook her head and stood up again.

"Oh! Hi. What can I get you?"

"Uhhh can I get a Frito pie and a Sprite?"

Zatanna paused for a moment eyeing this newcomer. Standing in front of her was a lean boy with slicked back hair and a Gotham Academy t-shirt. The more she looked, the more…..familiar she felt. She reached into the cooler for the soda and tore open a bad of Fritos pouring the corn chips into a bowl.

"Say, have we met?" She could have sworn she saw an inkling of a smirk.

"Huh? I don't think so? It's my first time at this school. Gotta say, really nice place. Lot's of trees in this courtyard."

Zatanna could only nod as she kept analyzing every inch to this new boy. He was just an inch shorter than her. Though lean, she could tell he was very fit and muscular based on how the shirt hugged his torso. That jawline looked awfully familiar.

"So uh. Are you gonna pour the chili or are you just gonna stare off in the abyss?" the mystery boy asked….almost teasingly.

"Huh oh right! Sorry. I got a little lost I my head there."

The one crucial element that had been bugging her was….his voice. She knew that voice. It was so strikingly similar to the voice that she hoped to hear every day when she woke up. This was the voice that cracked jokes with her, that soothed her when she was feeling down, that told her over the phone at 3am after a nightmare that he would always be there for her.

"So, what's a pretty lady like you doing cooped up here? On a Saturday no less?" he asked.

Unlike with the other boys and that one girl, Zatanna actually blushed at being called pretty.

"Oh, I need the community service hours. National Honors Society and all that jazz."

"Ah I hear ya. They really ask a lot of us along with our usual school work and extracurriculars."

"Yea haha. Sometimes it's hard to find time to just be kid y'know. To be able to go to the park or the movies, on a date with a boy I like….uh!"

The boy could only smirk and raise an eyebrow at her slip up.

"Oh? And who's the lucky guy? Is he cute? Based on how many people I've seen come up here and leave without buying anything, I'm guessing you're a gal with standards."

Completely flustered, Zatanna scrambled to come up with a response. She had just met this guy and all of a sudden she completely lost her wits.

"Oh uh yea hehe. Extremely high standards. It's one of those 'you'll know it when you see it' type of deals They gotta swoop me off my feet and there's only a small window to do it. But really there's no one haha."

"Really? Have you seen and-or know it, yet?"

"Uhhhhh I-I mean," she stuttered hoping to change the subject off her crush, "Um say are you also in NHS? How did you knock out your community service?"

"Oh a variety of things. I hop around the city. Help old people cross the street, retrieve lost items here and there. Clean up the city from all the….er trash it has. A buncha things. My dad's really committed to bettering the city so I tag along."

"I see. Sounds nifty. Anyway, here's your snack. I don't want to keep you from your next event. What are you competing in anyway?"

As she sprinkled shredded cheese onto the chili and Frito mixture, the boy handed her a five-dollar bill.

"I'm on the Calculus and trivia team. Man this smells so good. Hey what's your name? I want to thank you properly."

"I'm Zatanna," she smiled as she extended her hand. He took it, and his firm grip did not go unnoticed by her.

"Richard Grayson, but my friends call me Dick."

"Oof. What do your enemies call you?"

"Haha. You don't want to know."

"Haha ok then. Well good luck. I know I should be rooting for my own school here, but I really hope you'll do well!"

"Thanks. Can I just say…..I know you've rejected a lot of people today and they left totally dejected. So I'm glad I got to be the first to leave just….jected. Or maybe even better."

As Dick flashed a smile, Zatanna couldn't help but close her eyes and laugh at his…..wait a second.

Immediately she opened her eyes but to her surprise, her new friend was no where to be seen, even in the pretty open space courtyard.

"That couldn't have been….Nah."

Just as she was about to place the fiver into the collection box, she spotted one last pick-up line written on the bill.

"I was supposed to solve for x. I am so glad I found u instead."